Eighth Circuit Upholds FCC Order Preempting State Regulation Of VoIP

Vonage Order, issued in late 2004, the FCC broadly preempted state regulation of "nomadic" voice-over-Internet-protocol (VoIP) services -- applications-layer voice services that consumers can purchase independently of their own broadband Internet connections and can use anywhere in the world.[1] On March 21, 2007 -- a year and two months after the case was argued¿the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit finally upheld that order.[2] The Eighth Circuit decision represents a major victory for providers of nomadic VoIP services, but leaves a number of important questions unanswered.